Workplace and VDU lights for offices
Millions of people spend a large part of their lives in an office, whether that is in a workplace or at home. Without adequate lighting, workers can suffer from eyestrain, fatigue, eye discomfort and headaches. However, with the correct lighting, workers will feel motivated, and productive and have a sense of well-being.
Office and workplace lighting
Lighting concepts for offices
Features of good office lighting include:
ILLUMINANCE
LIGHT DISTRIBUTION
CORRECT LIGHT COLOUR
EXCELLENT COLOUR RENDERING
LIGHT DIRECTION
Frequently asked questions about workplace lighting
Legal regulations
The Regulations on the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act states that places of work should receive sufficient natural light and are equipped with artificial lighting adequate for the protection of the safety and health of the employees.
Regulation 8 on natural and artificial lighting specifically states that employers must ensure:
Lighting levels are sufficient to enable employees to detect obvious hazards and work without experiencing eyestrain
Lighting arrangements are made so that brightness, unsuitable shading or poorly placed light sources or workstations cannot cause discomfort or injury from glare or from the reflection of light
For complete guidance, please see the Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007
Light colour and colour rendering
Different light sources differ in the presence or absence of spectral colours (colour rendering) and the intensity of the spectral colours that make up the light (light colour).
Light colour / colour temperature
The light colour or colour temperature is measured in Kelvin (K) and describes the individual inherent colour of white light, generally perceived as "cool" or "warm". The specification of the light colour in Kelvin should not be confused with colour-changing lighting technologies (RGB), in which light can shine in red, green or blue. A rough distinction between the three light colours is:
Warm white (<3,300 Kelvin) = cosy light for living spaces
Universal white (3,300 - 5,300 Kelvin) = light for working
Daylight (> 5,300 Kelvin) = bluish light for basement and utility rooms
Colour rendering / CRI
The colour rendering index (CRI) indicates how natural the colours of an object appear when a light is switched on.
A CRI of Ra 100 means that colours are reproduced as they would be in daylight. Ra >= 90 indicates very good, Ra >= 80 good colour rendering. Bulbs below Ra 80 are not recommended for living spaces, as colours can be distorted or rendered greyish.
Individual workstations, groups of desks and open-plan offices
A good ratio of indirect and directed light ensures that lighting conditions are as comfortable as possible for the eyes and removes shadows. Several lights are necessary to accomplish this, for example, an LED panel for large-area room lighting and a desk lamp for support. Some lights, such as uplighters, can also produce both types of light: an indirect light that shines towards the ceiling and direct light that illuminates the workspace.
An alternative to the office floor lamp can be pendant lights. Diffusers or grids, are entirely glare-free and visually break up the light in the room.
A regularly used home office deserves the same lighting conditions as a company office and can be adjusted to your individual needs.
A space-saving alternative to the floor lamp is the desk lamp. However, attention must be paid to light colour and colour rendering with desk lamps.
Other top functions for office lights
Increase the quality of work and relaxation in the office with automatic colour temperature changes.
Covering the screen with felt helps with sound absorption, which is ideal in an open-plan customer service office.
Economical use of light adds comfort for employees due to precise presence detectors.
Bluetooth and group/swarm control allow you to choose the temperature, reduce noise level and improve air quality.